How do they know such sensitive information?
My wife and I have planned to go abroad. We had applied for the UK Visa through an authorised agency. We had already submitted all documents online. There is a standard procedure of meeting them facecto face which we did.The courier identified was Blue Dart. The service delivery boy called up saying that he would come. Within the next few minutes, I received another call in Tamil from another number. The person identified himself as a person from the courier office. Since they were about to deliver the document, I did not suspect this fellow. He just asked for the tracking number. Since everything was done by my son, based in Mumbai, only he knew the tracking number. I just mentioned the number given by the agency, and the instruction was that I need to give the slip if the delivery person asked for it.
There was another call from the same number,, but this time a person spoke in broken English with a heavy English accent. He also asked me for the tracking number but I grew suspicious and did not entertain him.
Within two seconds, I received a message on my WhatsApp s up, asking me to open a link and pay Rs 5. I opened the link and smelt a rat, as they wanted several details. I just hang up.
Within another five minutes another lady rang up, with a particularly pronounced Hindi accent and butler English asking me to pay just Rs 5 and it is compulsory. I told her that I had already contacted the crime branch police and they would get back to her.
The conversation ended as she hang up. They tried to call me from the same number, but I did not accept any call.
The key point is: how do the fraud guys get all such details as my phone number? The Blue Dart courier people asked me to be careful, and that was the end of it. I just blocked the number.
Members may also note such frauds and complain to the crime branch.